City skate park will be a reality

I have good news for Strachan Hagood, whose recent letter to the editor lamented that there are no accessible, affordable concrete skate parks in Charleston.

Pour it Now, a non-profit organization, has been working for more than a year with the city of Charleston and its Recreation Department to secure a site and funding for a safe, challenging concrete skate park in downtown Charleston for all Charlestonians to use free of charge.

The completion date is approximately two years away, but with the vision and efforts of Pour It Now and the support of the city, the park is going to be built.

Charleston has been late to recognize the tremendous number of skateboarders who need a place to skate. Statistically, skateboarding is more popular than baseball, football and basketball. It is a fact that while many tennis courts, baseball fields and soccer fields often go unused, skate parks are bustling with activity each day as long as there is light.

The common perception of those who skate must be changed, too. Board members of Pour It Now include a Montessori pre-school director, a vice president of a bank, a CPA, a Ph.D. candidate, a TV producer and a College of Charleston administrator, most of whom are skaters.

Tired of having to travel out of town to skate and compete on concrete, they came together to address the need for a park in Charleston. They also knew that cities with concrete facilities raise millions of dollars by hosting competitions — money that could be used to build and improve recreation facilities here in Charleston.

Pour It Now is holding a number of fund-raising events and getting the word out to build momentum and support for the coming park. When the site is identified, grants will be applied for, naming rights will be made available and donations, large and small, will be sought.

Updates on the park's progress can be found at pouritnow.com. Those wishing to be on Pour It Now's e-mail list should e-mail charleston@pouritnow.com.

Pour It Now means pour the concrete now. Don't wait, Pour It Now.

JILL CONWAY
Board Member
Pour It Now
20th Avenue
Isle of Palms